Looks like TMR have chosen to use the preserved transport corridor for light rail instead of road. Putting the light rail terminus on the eastern side of Helensvale station minimises disruption to existing services. I also note that access to Parkwood East station is via Faldo Court, also minimising property resumptions. It looks like the Parkwood Park 'n' Ride leaves the option of building a heavy rail station at Parkwood at some point in the future.

Notice now that many stations on G link tram now have more go card readers, six on each platform and prominent notices reminding passengers they need to touch on before boarding the tram. Fare evasion been a problem?

On Thursday 9th November, all of Tram will be test run after GCUH, all passenger have to leave at GCUH hospital before leave for a test runs from GCUH to Helensvale and return to GCUH then start passenger service.

$440 million of Commonwealth Games rail connection opens 17 December 2017.Talking points:•The $440m link from Helensvale to the Gold Coast makes Games' travel easier.•It is funded by all three levels of government, as was the Moreton Bay Rail Link.•Governments wants local, state and federal levels paying for infrastructure.Four months before the 2018 Commonwealth Games begin on the Gold Coast, the Gold Coast light rail network has been connected to the main rail line running to Brisbane.The job completion comes as public transport figures show a 30 per cent increase in the number of Gold Coast residents using public transport as light rail and bus transport is improved.The $442 million second extension of the Gold Coast light rail network – called the G-Link – has been connected at Helensvale Rail Station.Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad take a ride on light rail. Photo: Tony Moore Passengers travelling between the Gold Coast and Brisbane can now use the heavy rail and light rail connection to travel more easily to the heart of the Gold Coast.The new rail schedule to get fans to the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which will involve some new generation trains, will be one of the most awaited announcements of early 2018.Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has already told Fairfax Media trains are planned every 10 minutes.Deputy opposition leader Tim Mander however on Sunday morning said it was time the 2018 Commonwealth Games rail schedule was announced."With nearly 100 days to go, we still don't know what the train timetable will be and we still don't know if we will have enough trains," Mr Mander said."This has the potential to be an international embarrassment for us," he said.The 7.3 kilometre connection was designed specifically to ready south-east Queensland for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which are being held in April 2018.Work on the extension from the Gold Coast University Hospital campus - where the first stage of the light rail ends - to Helensvale began in April 2016.The new rail connection has three new stations and park ‘n ride spaces for 1400 cars.Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull riding the Gold Coast light rail. Photo: Scott Fletcher Two new stations on the light rail connection out to Helensvale between Parkwood and Helensvale are included in the plans for the future.The light rail extension is funded by all three levels of government; federal, state and the local Gold Coast City Council.The Australian Government contributed $95 million, the Queensland Government the majority share $270 million and Gold Coast City Council $55 million.Ms Trad, who had led negotiations with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate to win support from the Australian government for the project, welcomed the project’s completion and rode the first train into the Gold Coast on Sunday."What we have done is fundamentally transformed public transport between the Gold Coast and Brisbane," Ms Trad said."For the first time in five decades people on the Gold Coast can get on a mass transit system, a rapid transit system - come to Helensvale on light rail - change over to heavy rail (conventional train) ands get into Brisbane seamlessly," she said.“Light rail on the Gold Coast is a resounding success and the extended tram system will help ease congestion now and into the future as the city continues to grow.”Federal Tourism minister and Gold Coast federal Liberal MP Steve Ciobo - who in late 2015 opposed funding the project - today welcomed it as a "game changer" for the Gold Coast.Federal minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher said Gold Coast residents were increasingly taking up public transport.“Since light rail was introduced on the Gold Coast, the overall number of public transport trips each year has increased by more than 30 per cent, which demonstrates how public transport investment is a key priority for managing traffic growth in Australia.”Mr Tate, who has long championed extending the successful Gold Coast light rail network, said the Gold Coast was now seeing the benefit from earlier stages of their light rail network.“Over the past 18 months many locals have benefitted from construction jobs and we can now see new homes being built along the corridor, which ensures ongoing opportunities for employment,” he said.“The G -Link system is a great example of the three levels of government coming together to deliver transport infrastructure that benefits the entire community.”Mr Mander also questioned the timing of scheduled maintenance on Sunday - which closed the main Gold Coast rail - line while the light rail connection was opened.Rail maintenance is always scheduled for times when fewest customers are using the rail line.Ms Trad said the scheduled maintenance "had to be done this weekend" to check all the signalling before the April 2018 Commonwealth Games.www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queen ... 4yxs3.html* There is a bus currently from Nerang to Broadbeach or Surfers every 15 minutes? Speaking about the 740..... They run it up Heeb Street just cause there's a Tafe. So they miss 1 Botanical Gardens(no public transport to this spot), 1 Shopping Centre, 1 High School. 2 Primary Schools (Benowa plus St Kevins) and Pindara Hospital. Just so those Tafe kiddies don't have to walk too far.....* They run it up Heeb St because it is the most direct route to Surfers Paradise. All the destinations you have mentioned are along other bus routes (737 and 741).* Tim Mander would be wise to stay silent on the G-Link and rail network in general. The ALP fought hard to get this project and they deserve and are entitled to take full credit. Mander was part of the Newman LNP that ordered the dud trains that the ALP are now having to fix and we all know that the LNP will always take money from PT and put it into roads.Still amazes me why so many people in the GC still vote LNP when it is Labor who have built all the infrastructure they need.* Are you sure it's true?* I thought we didn't have enough train drivers? And suddenly we do have enough. Exactly who is telling porkies?* What do QR's crew availability problems have to do with the Gold Coast light rail?* Are they sitting in the Caboolture express train? Because it's empty.* You don't catch trains very often, do you?* And Tony Abbott fought tooth and nail to make it not happen. Even though it was in the best interests of Australians. Oppositional politics only works for a political party, or a group, or a single person of that party. Never helps us all, just a few or one. Same with his idiotic demands on Turnbull to bastardise the NBN in the name of cost saving, for his own political purposes. It didn't matter how it was achieved, it just had to be different from Labor's plan, and believed to be cheaper. Well, it's going to be more expensive to build, more expensive to run, and substantially more prone to outages. We never need people like Abbott in leadership.* Tony Abbott is in the federal branch of government, not state.

MORE than 10 million people are expected to ride the Gold Coast’s tram system in the next year, as new data reveals the light rail is more popular than anyone anticipated.

Patronage of the city’s newly expanded tram network beat expectations this year, according to budget documents which show that more than 9.23 million people rode the G in 2017-18, up from an expected 8.72 million. And next year’s passenger numbers are expected to be even better, with the figure set to jump by nearly 1 million people.

Crowds of 10.2 million are expected to ride the light rial in 2018-19, a figure Transport Minister Mark Bailey welcomed.

“I have been delighted to see patronage figures consistently above expectations as both Gold Coasters and visitors flock to our light rail network,” he said.

“During the Commonwealth Games, trams carried more than 1.1 million passengers, or close to 100,000 passengers every day. That’s nearly four times the daily average since the opening of stage two of the light rail project. “We are seeing over 200,000 trips per week on the Light Rail. Clearly, people love riding the G:Link.”

Budget documents note the jump in patronage for this financial year was because the light rail’s second stage began to take passengers in December 2017, several months earlier than expected.

The tram was so successful that it helped significantly increase the overall use of public transport in the state’s southeast, according to the documents, with patronage up 3.9 million people above this year’s estimates.

The strong figures come as no surprise to student Miah Clayton, 26, who uses the tram up to five times a week to get to Griffith University.

“I’m not really surprised,” she said. Miah Clayton uses the tram up to five times a week. Photo by Richard Gosling“I think when it first opened it was popular so I’m not surprised the trend continued. It’s nice that more people are moving away from driving when they can make the choice.”

Ms Clayton said she would love to see an extension to the tram — especially to the airport.

Michelle Lisulov of Varsity Lakes said she took the tram to Southport every day for work and was also unsurprised that so many more people had used the service.

“Ever since the tram’s come it’s made it 10 times easier (to get around),” she said. “When I just jump on the tram, I don’t have to wait in traffic.”

It comes as it was also revealed that $2 million of state funding from this year’s budget will go towards the $10 million business case on light rail stage 3A, which will run from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads. The funds are part of the state’s $5 million contribution to the study which was announced last August.

Jackie Trad, a noted supporter of the light rail, brought down millions in funding for the Stage 3A business case in the budget. Picture: Jerad WilliamsThe Gold Coast City Council is funding the remaining $5 million and Mayor Tom Tate said the patronage figures backed the case for stage 3A.

“Patrons have voted with their Go Cards as light rail continues to enjoy passenger numbers that exceed the operator’s initial modelling,” he said.

“When it comes to big events, the G:Link is now the No. 1 choice for large scale passenger movement. Just look at the GC600 or New Year’s Eve fireworks.

“Now that we are linked with Brisbane, this gives 1.2 million Brisbane residents, and the capital city tourists, direct access to our beaches, theme parks, shopping malls and restaurants.’’

Council will quarantine the first cash of an expected $60 million contribution to the $600 million tram extension in next week’s council budget.